CHAMPAIGN – Before they walked off the Assembly Hall court for the last time in the regular season, Illinois seniors Lacey Simpson and Jenna Smith shared a lengthy embrace amid the hullabaloo of the Illini's 61-57 victory against Purdue on Sunday.

They dabbed at their eyes, content with the knowledge and emotions produced by a victory in their Hall swan song. The prevailing sentiment: My, how time flies.

"I was thinking about Coach (Jolette) Law's first year here when we played Purdue on Senior Night, and I swear I was like, 'Man, this is deja vu all over again,' " Simpson said, referring to a home victory against Purdue on March 2, 2008. "I just had so many emotions running through my head: 'Wow, it went by so fast. The game flew by. Dang, it's really over.'

"But we're going to Northwestern now, and the (Big Ten) tournament so ... just try to move forward."

Not so fast. The Illini (14-13, 6-11 Big Ten) will take plenty of time to savor Sunday's win, taking full advantage of their Thursday bye before visiting Northwestern on Sunday to finish the regular season. After all, not only was the moment tinged by the Senior Day emotions, but it came against a longstanding nemesis – a Purdue team that has bedeviled the Illini for decades.

Sunday's victory was Illinois' fifth against Purdue in the last 44 meetings. The game Simpson referenced was the only time Illinois had beaten the Boilermakers (14-13, 9-7) during the seniors' careers. And then there was the matter of the most crushing defeat: Lakisha Freeman's buzzer beater in the Big Ten tournament title game in 2008 that denied the Illini a spot in the NCAA tournament.

Simpson and Smith likely will never get over that bitter disappointment. That is, unless something special happens in Indianapolis starting March 4.

"I think I'll feel better if we play them again in the tournament – maybe the championship game," Simpson said. "(This) helped a little bit. Eased my mind a little bit. But ... nah. Maybe in the Big Ten tournament."

True to form, Smith and Simpson played key roles. Smith had game highs of 21 points and 15 rebounds, leading Illinois' dominance under the boards (38-23).

"She's a senior that didn't want to go away," Purdue coach Sharon Versyp said. "She wasn't going to be denied today, and we didn't defend her well."

Simpson had six rebounds, six assists and five steals despite fouling out.

"You can go out and work hard just simply for them," freshman Kersten Magrum said. "They've done such a great job, that's the least we can do."

Magrum (11 points in a season-high 33 minutes) and fellow freshman Karisma Penn (14 points, 11 in the second half) gave glimpses of what might be ahead once the seniors are gone for good.

Penn's driving layup with 20 seconds left gave the Illini a three-point cushion, and Smith sealed it with two free throws with 9.7 seconds left.

It was a sweet victory – in front of a season-high 4,571 for the free-admission "Pack the Hall" promotion – for a last-place team starving for anything to feel good about. The Illini need to beat Northwestern or win the first game of the conference tournament to become eligible for the WNIT and, presumably, play again at the Assembly Hall.

"At first you didn't know how to feel," Smith said, trying to encapsulate her emotions. "It was kind of sad, but the big crowd gave us an extra boost. They still have our back no matter what; it made us want to play harder. Seeing the team care about wanting to send us off on a good note really meant a lot, too. Everybody had a positive attitude."